Every week, Oprah is setting an intention exclusively for Oprah Daily Insiders, with reflections on topics like letting go, forgiveness, coming into your own, and more.
Hey Insiders,
As we all are increasingly bombarded with more and more messages through social media, it’s getting harder and harder to decipher what is real, AI-generated, misinformation, or a rumor.
I want to pose a question to you today: How are you handling deciphering misinformation in this moment we are living in? With all the Tweets, TikToks, and endless videos, do you fact-check what you see online—or do you take it at face value? How is it possible to even check, and who do you trust?
It was especially disheartening to me this week, as someone who always tries to lead with good intention, to be falsely accused of making decisions that could harm others. When tsunami warnings hit Maui, my first thought was “Are we safe here, and how do we help others get to higher ground?”
There’s the main highway that winds all the way around the mountain— and an easement, a one-lane private road that leads to the ocean or leads to town. This is the road that locals call “the Oprah Road.” The facts are: I do not own that road. It belongs to Haleakalā Ranch, which granted me easement rights long ago to what was once just a cattle trail.
In emergencies—like the fires two years ago or this week’s tsunami warning—decisions about opening that road involve multiple parties: Haleakalā Ranch, Maui Police, and Maui Emergency Management. The reason is that the road was not built for public transport, and many portions are unmarked and hazardous. This week, I advocated for opening it immediately, and once the hazards were cleared, it was opened with people in place to supervise and ensure safety. The choice was made as quickly as possible, with the right intention: to get people to higher ground.
Yet somehow, that turned into backlash and misinformation suggesting I was “forced” to open it or that I was blocking access. Neither is true. But still—the lies spread.
And this isn’t the only falsehood out there. Every week, my lawyers and I are playing whack-a-mole with fake AI videos of me selling everything from gummies to pink salt. Let me say this clearly: If you see an ad with my face on a “PRODUCT,” it’s fake.
Beyond me, it’s everywhere. A friend received a desperate text, supposedly from her son—turns out, it wasn’t. Another friend heard what sounded exactly like her daughter’s voice asking for money. It wasn’t her daughter—it was AI. Her own mother couldn’t tell the difference.
This is where we are. And where we’re heading is even more complicated.
So, Insiders—how are you discerning truth from falsehood in this new era? How are you choosing what to believe?
I want to hear from you—Maggie Light, Angel, Nick, Sparkleking, Mary Keough, all of you. Share your thoughts with me.
With Intention,
Oprah
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Oprah Winfrey is a global media leader, producer, philanthropist, actress, and author. Over the course of her career, she has created an unparalleled connection with people and communities around the world. Oprah oversees Harpo Productions, serves as chairman and CEO of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, and is the founder of O, The Oprah Magazine and OprahDaily.com. In 1996, Oprah’s Book Club launched, serving as a catalyst for the creation of book clubs around the world and millions of books sold across genres. For 25 years, Oprah was the host and producer of the award-winning talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Oprah is also a dedicated philanthropist and the founder of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. In 2013, she was awarded the Medal of Freedom, our nation’s highest civilian honor. In 2018, Oprah became the first African American woman to be honored with the Golden Globes’ Cecil B. DeMille Award, and in 2022, she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.